Model 64 Bar Stools in Black Painted Plywood by Alvar Aalto for Artek, 1930s, Set of 4

Model · 64
Designer · Alvar Aalto
Manufacturer · Artek
Origin · Finland
Period · 1930s
Style · Scandinavian Modern / Finnish Modernism
Materials · Bent birch plywood
Colour · Black

Object

Model 64 takes one of Aalto's simplest ideas and stretches it upwards. A circular seat rises above four slender birch legs, each bending gently into the structure rather than meeting it through conventional joints. A single wooden ring holds everything together and becomes a place for the feet. Nothing else is needed.

The stool grew from Aalto's experiments with the L-leg in the early 1930s — a small technical invention that would become an entire language of furniture. In black, Model 64 becomes almost graphic: circles, vertical lines and curves repeating through space. Seen together as a set of four, the stools feel less like separate objects and more like a small piece of architecture.

Designer

Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) approached furniture as part of a much larger idea of living. Architecture, interiors, furniture, glass and even the smallest details of a room belonged to the same world, shaped around the people who would eventually inhabit it.

His experiments with bent wood became one of his most important contributions to modern design. Instead of following the cold industrial language emerging elsewhere in Europe, Aalto found modernity in forests, curves and the natural behaviour of materials. The L-leg became the foundation for an entire family of furniture and one of the most recognisable ideas in modern design.

Manufacturer

Artek was founded in Helsinki in 1935 by Alvar and Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen and Nils-Gustav Hahl with an unusually ambitious purpose: not simply to sell furniture, but to promote a new culture of living.

The company became the vessel through which Aalto's experiments entered everyday life. Furniture, architecture and art were allowed to exist as parts of the same idea, bringing Finnish modernism from Helsinki into homes around the world. Nearly a century later, Artek remains inseparable from the language Aalto helped create.

Condition

The original birch plywood structures have been preserved and finished in black paint. The stools remain in great vintage condition, showing light traces of age and previous use while retaining their structural integrity and visual clarity. As with any authentic vintage pieces, subtle traces of time may be present, adding to their history and individual character.

Dimensions

Width · 55 cm / 21.7 in
Depth · 55 cm / 21.7 in
Height · 75 cm / 29.5 in
Seat height · 75 cm / 29.5 in

Included

The bar stools are accompanied by a Back to the Furniture Certificate of Originality, a Back to the Furniture flyer, a Thank You card and a small gift.

Availability

The bar stools can be ready to ship within 10-15 workdays.

Shipping

Worldwide shipping is available. Every piece is carefully prepared and packed for international transport. Shipping costs are calculated according to destination at checkout, with tracking provided after dispatch.

Enquiries

For questions about the piece, its condition, shipping, delivery or any other details, please get in touch. Additional information is always available before purchase.

© Back to the Furniture